A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 2 3 7 and CuMnAl—and achieved repeated, massive orientation changes in the solid state. These findings offer a new strategy for manipulating the orientation of large single crystals on demand to take advantage of their superior and highly anisotropic properties. The team believes the discovery will open up extensive research areas and that this is just the beginning of this exciting new path for finding new materials. tamu.edu. METALLIC POLYMER BREAKTHROUGH A team of scientists from Fudan University and East China University of Science and Technology, both in Shanghai, successfully synthesized a stable polymer with a backbone made of nickel atoms. Because of the different electronic structures of metal and nonmetal atoms, it’s challenging to confer the properties of metals—such as high thermal and electrical conductivity—into polymers. Polymers with a metal backbone could combine the advantages of both types of material and open routes to materials with novel functionality. The team used a chalice-shaped molecule, calixarene, with four binding sites as the scaffold for the metal polymer. Next, they attached four polyaminopyridine chains to the calixarenes, bundling the four chains and aligning them in parallel form. Synthesis of the chains can be carried out stepwise from individual building blocks, or several larger blocks can be linked together. The team demonstrated their polymer synthesis method and produced a nickel backbone with precisely controlled length. They created versions containing three to 21 nickel atoms. Notably, the distance between nickel atoms decreases as the chain length increases, strengthening the Ni–Ni bonds. The new materials may conduct electricity, are thermally stable, and can be processed in solution. They demonstrate strong length-dependent light absorption with narrow band gaps, which is promising for opto- electronic devices and semiconductors. The new synthetic strategy could also be expanded to other transition metals such as copper and cobalt. www.fudan. edu.cn/en, www.ecust.edu.cn/en. Researchers discovered a polymer with a metallic backbone that is conductive. Courtesy of Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2023). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202216060.
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